Disney’s “Moana 2” was released exclusively in theaters on Nov. 27, 2024. The movie has received mixed reviews despite the numerous families paying for a trip to the theater over the holiday weekend.
The movie has broken several box office records, including the “biggest 5-day debut of all time,” producing a box office revenue of $386 million. This exceeded their film product budget of $150 million.
According to www.cnbc.com, “‘Moana 2’ led with $221 million in domestic ticket sales, the top performance of a Thanksgiving weekend film ever.”
“Moana 2” was directed by David Derrick, unlike the first movie that was directed by famed Disney director John Musker. It featured famous actors Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson who reprised their roles of Moana and Maui in the sequel.
The movie had good and bad aspects that contributed to its overall appeal. In terms of its animation, the movie successfully raised the stakes compared to the first movie. The animation was more technologically advanced and significantly more detailed in the sequel.
The songs were sufficient but did not come close to being better than those in the original movie. This may be due to the fact that one of the original composers and songwriters for the first movie, Lin-Manuel Miranda, did not return to help with the sequel. Manuel is responsible for writing the famous Disney songs “You’re Welcome” and “How Far I’ll Go” featured in the first film.
Dylan Pryor (11) provides insight saying, “It was a well-animated movie with good characters, but it lacked the same compelling storyline and catchy songs that the first movie had.”
The sequel includes new characters who accompany Moana on her journey across the sea. The characters are likable and make Moana feel more connected to others and less isolated as the movie progresses, unlike in the first movie. Additionally, the movie renews the dynamic of Moana and Maui and expands on their strong friendship.
The movie takes place a few years after the events that occurred in the first movie, where Moana is depicted as a hero and a great wayfinder to her people.
The pacing of the movie was a mess and many parts felt either rushed or slow; there was no consistency. This took away from what could have been a great movie sequel as it made the movie hard to follow.
The first act of the movie started off slow and repeated the exposition of the plot multiple times, making it hard to keep interest. Whereas the second act felt extremely rushed, brushed over major plot points and missed potential emotional moments.
The movie included a couple of characters that felt unnecessary for the storyline and didn’t contribute anything in particular. These characters only made the plot more complicated, confusing and less enjoyable to watch.
The movie lacked any real conflict as many of the obstacles Moana encounters on her journey turn out to be an ally waiting for her. The climax of the movie, when compared to that of the first movie, is very similar. Moana finds herself against the odds of a supernatural being while on her voyage alongside Maui and her friends. This time around, the climax lacked emotional resonance and was less surprising.
The movie lacks a true villain due to the fact that the antagonist, a storm god named Nalo, only presents himself as purple lighting until a later credit scene. This causes confusion to the audience on the reasons following his evil motivations as we never get familiar with his character.
The heights of this movie did not match the original and seemed confusing at certain times. The movie was supposed to be a Disney+ series until Disney reworked it into a second movie. The parts where the episodes would have started and left off are fairly easy to spot and that makes the overall movie plot complicated and awkward.
“Moana 2” was not bad overall, but it lacked a strong foundation and clear plot. The movie was not as horrible as I anticipated, but it did not meet its full potential. Disney should have kept the second movie as an original series and left the first movie to be a standalone film. There are a lot of things to like about “Moana 2” but the movie is far from perfect.
